Reviews

A Kontakt library built on lengthy samples of a range of electric pianos and synths (Hohner Pianet T, Nord Modular G2, Moog Voyager and more). The scripted interface if full of stuff to experiment with, including adjustment of sample playback and filter LFO for each note... more

Garritan Personal Orchestra (AAX/VST/AU/standalone) is an all-in-one orchestral library aimed at those wanting to program convincing symphonic parts on a budget.
Version 4 included a 2GB sample set (piano, woodwind, harp, percussion, pipe organ, brass... more

Cinematic ‘Big Boomers’ are eagerly embraced by almost every field of commercial music these days and to service this appetite, Gothic Instruments — aided by Hollywood sound designer Alessandro Camnasio — have created Sculptor. It’s a... more

Toontrack’s Dream Pop EZX expansion pack for EZdrummer is most definitely not just another acoustic drum kit. In fact Toontrack themselves describe it as “nature meets technology”, blending as it does samples of organic sounds, conventional drum... more

Ozone 7 comes hot on the heels of Ozone 6 which represented a change in both aesthetics and functionality. Ozone 7 sticks with this look and feel. Headline features are are an updated Maximiser - traditionally one of iZotope´s strengths - an improved Dynamic EQ, a... more

VocalSynth is a four-part vocal synthesizer and multi-effect processor which combines a range of corrective and creative tools within a single package.
It is built around a quartet of modules each offering a different flavour of vocal synthesis effect: Vocoder,... more

Dronar is a Kontakt instrument that translates the everyday into the epic. When fed with a simple triad chord, it cunningly fills out the middle range, provides a building-shaking bass and inserts highs to rival the most discreet online pharmacy. From an inviting... more

Toontrack’s Dream Pop EZX expansion pack for EZdrummer is most definitely not just another acoustic drum kit. In fact Toontrack themselves describe it as “nature meets technology”, blending as it does samples of organic sounds, conventional drum kit... more

"I think this is going to be a great tool for those looking to create textures and ambience, especially for those composers creating underscore for media. As a composer working on music for media like myself I am always seeking out fresh textures and... more

While Toontrack’s brilliant Superior Drummer has some very worthwhile competition, EZ Keys, which offers a similar concept for the virtual pianist, has perhaps a more open field in which to play. It’s not that we don’t have plenty of high-quality... more

Chris Hein’s popular horn, wind, guitar and bass collections are some of the most deeply sampled products on the market and show a remarkable eye for musical detail. The veteran producer has now released Chris Hein Solo Violin, a 2.73GB instrument which runs... more

I reviewed Sam Spacey’s original Epica sample library for Kontakt back in 2014, and was hugely impressed; Epica was, well, epic, with lots of fabulous sounds build around samples of classic analogue synths. All these were presented via a powerful Kontakt front-end... more

Softube is best known for its emulation-oriented audio plug-ins aimed at capturing the sound of specific hardware units.
In more recent years this has extended into hybrid-hardware (Console 1), and virtual instruments, in the shape of the Heartbeat analogue drum... more

Dronar is a Kontakt instrument that translates the everyday into the epic. When fed with a simple triad chord, it cunningly fills out the middle range, provides a building-shaking bass and inserts highs to rival the most discreet online pharmacy. From an inviting... more

Dronar is a Kontakt instrument that translates the everyday into the epic. When fed with a simple triad chord, it cunningly fills out the middle range, provides a building-shaking bass and inserts highs to rival the most discreet online pharmacy. From an inviting... more

VocalSynth is a four-part vocal synthesizer and multi-effect processor which combines a range of corrective and creative tools within a single package.
It is built around a quartet of modules each offering a different flavour of vocal synthesis effect:... more

Country Music can come in a rough and ready hoedown format, but that's not what Big Fish Audio's Country Guitars is about. The material in this particular sample library is radio-friendly and absolutely ready for your next modern country rock chart.
... more

Designed by Sonicsmiths and released through Big Fish Audio, The Foundry is a Kontakt 5 virtual instrument that is aimed most obviously at sound designers. And while The Foundry is most definitely built around a library of samples — it’s a 12GB download that... more

Small Upright is part of Toontrack’s EZkeys range of products which includes a virtual pipe organ, Mellotron, Clavinet D6 and Pianet N, grand piano, vintage upright and contemporary upright. The advantage of the small piano is that it produces a tighter and... more

All of Output’s products so far have been an attempt to break new ground in the world of sample processing. Their first, Rev, was a sample engine for manipulating reversed sounds, and that was followed by Signal, which was marketed as the world’s most... more

Since its release in 2008, Omnisphere has proved itself to be one of the most consistently useful and versatile software instruments available. Its success is testament to both the wealth of included sound content that you’d expect from a Spectrasonics product, but... more

The Ozone 7 is a must-have tool for mastering and post-production to include in your toolkit. With the new tweaking options, upgraded Maximizer and the included Dynamic EQ in the standard version, it is a clear step up from Ozone 6- and with the vintage tools added to... more

Spectrasonic´s Omnisphere 2.0 Power Synth delivers out of this world sounds.
It´s been a long time coming, and for many the wait was almost too long to bear. Finally, a plugin that has shaped the dance music production scene has been revamped and is... more

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The monophonic patches are huge and monolithic, the polyphonic ones work better where a sound is more percussive, since bass chords are something of an acquired taste, although for higher-pitched sounds this is fine. Arpeggiation really brings things... more

Unsurprisingly, given the size of the library, the quality is excellent. The velocity layering, for example, works seamlessly, so making a performance using piano keys or pads feels very natural.
Overall, The Progressive Foundry has a slightly softer sound than many... more

If you are a busy media composer looking for an instant slice of ’60s or ’80s instrumentation with a minimum of fuss, Vintage Rhythm Section is going to be very tempting. Yes, there is still the task of having to play these virtual instruments in a fashion... more

IZotope’s Ozone, now on its seventh version, aims to provide the Mac OS or Windows computer-musician with a complete set of mastering tools. Available in Standard and Advanced versions, Ozone 7 can be used either stand-alone or as a DAW plug-in in RTAS, AudioSuite,... more

Like a fan waiting for the new album, we are wary that excitedly jumping into RX5 could end in an unsatisfying 'meh'.
It's hard to imagine an update providing the same rush of 'you can do what?!' moments as our first encounter with RX. As this is... more

Two of Spitfire Audio's recent releases are designed to pick up on the excitement caused by the release of Enigma, Leo Abrahams' library of warped and wonderful guitar textures, which has found favour with producers and composers alike.
Olafur Arnalds' Composer... more

No mater how hard you work, you don't work as hard as Spitfire Audio founders Christian Henson and Paul Thomson.
These guys are not only busy composers for film and television, they've also turned their sample library business into a smash-hit success. Their... more

Rob Papen's RAW synth plug-in was released late last year, promising "aggressive sounds for the EDM generation."
Of course, like many soft synths, its feature set isn't limited only to the traditional modules you'd expect of a synthesizer but also to... more

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A new de facto standard, these libraries take cinematic percussions to the next level.
It may sound cliché, but the Hans Zimmer Percussion London Ensemble & Solos take cinematic percussions to the next level, becoming a new de facto... more

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Offering a 'fine brush stroke' approach to what was already a versatile, high quality percussion library.
If you want to bring a smaller-sounding, more intimate version of an instrument to the fore this library is for you.
Huge range of... more

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If you're looking for Rock drums, either for production or scoring work, you should definitely make checking out this library a priority. Huge range of articulations and microphone options in both libraries. Performance Kits let you hear the... more

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Overall, the kicks are meaty and punchy, with the thunderous Newman bass drum being a cinematic standout. The cymbals sparkle; the Dual Combo cymbal rolls have a realistic attack and generous decay. Round robins for the ride bells keep them lively and... more

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When Hans Zimmer called Christian Henson of Spitfire Audio and suggested a collaboration for the realisation of his HZ Percussion project, the answer, of course, was yes. At Hans’ request it was announced to the world immediately and... more

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Anyone who feels the current craze for sampled ‘cinematic percussion’ is getting out of hand should spare a thought for the man who invented the genre: Hans Zimmer, the affable German ex–popster who scaled the Hollywood heights with... more